2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
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- LCM (50m)
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For the third consecutive World Championships, the United States finished night one with zero gold medals.
While several Americans have set themselves up nicely for tomorrow night’s main events via semi-finals, it was Australia that put on a show to capture most of the attention to kick things off.
Lukas Märtens of Germany took the men’s 400m free, our first race of the Championships, but Sam Short put up a strong performance for the Aussies to snag silver in the American-less final.
Lani Pallister fell short of the podium for the green and gold in the women’s 400m free, settling for 4th, which opened the door for the American Olympic icon Katie Ledecky to earn bronze behind winner Summer McIntosh of Canada and runner-up Li Bingjie of China who earned silver.
The Aussies rebounded big-time, however, as the nation roared its way to gold in both the women’s and men’s 4x100m free relays.
Both races saw the Aussie anchors dig deep to surpass the American leaders on the final leg.
Olivia Wunsch overtook Torri Huske in the women’s and Kyle Chalmers surpassed Jonny Kulow to add fuel to the green and gold fire.
It is important to note that several swimmers on the U.S. squad are coming off bouts of food poisoning, which reared its head during the training camp in Thailand.
Medal Table Through Day One of 2025 World Championships
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 |
Australia
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | U.S. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | China | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
I don’t know that you can include the disclaimer about food poisoning – the American men were under world record pace for much of the race but were still mowed down by King Kyle in the final lap. It was an Australian victory deserving of complete recognition for a race well swum.
It really does speak volumes about the different cultures. Australia was significantly impacted by COVID at the Paris Olympics but you hardly heard anything about it. The team just went about their business and didn’t use it as an excuse. This year, all we’ve heard for a week straight is how the US team is ill. The team officials, broadcasters and journalists all screaming it from the rooftops.
While fully understand the affects of the illness to the Americans.
Let’s look at new look Aussie team, MOC well below her best, Harris, had to be persuaded to race as she planning a assault on 50 free only and Wulsch and Jansen first international final.
Men’s the Aussie swam fastest textile time of all time not enough credit for that.
Harris was always gonna swim the 4×1
Only going by Cate Campbell’s interview with Meg.
Once I saw the American order I knew Australia would win the men’s. Chalmers doesn’t waste time anymore waiting until the final 50. It needed to be a different American anchor.
Women’s looked like near 50/50 with Gretchen out, but slight edge to Australia. That’s why I’m surprised both of these relays are being framed as upsets. Without Gretchen I wish they could have reordered things with Douglass at anchor. Her prelim swim demonstrated she was healthy and eager. Douglass mentioned frustration at being left off relays in Paris.
Huske got rank on the opening 50. It reminded me of a trailing 4 x 400 track relay runner who goes out too hard then dies down the stretch.
STOP THE COUNT
…Both races saw the Aussie anchors dig deep to surpass the American leaders on the final leg….
Actually Olivia had a 0.60 lead from the beginning.. they were from the first leg..
So she just held of torri huske trough out..passing is not the correct word for it..yes as for charmers he did dig deep
Actually Wunsch did pass Huske in the last 50 metres. Huske took the lead in the first 50 metres to be 0.18 in front at the turn and Wunsch then passed Huske surging ahead in the last 20 metres to touch first with a 0.44 margin.
Wunsch didn’t “just hold off Torri Huske through out”, the lead changed during the anchor leg. ‘Surpass’ might not be the right word but ‘pass’ is.
Literally Ian Thorpe coming back on Gary Hall Jr from 2000 Olympics. Thorpe had a lead on the changeover and Hall out split him over the full 100. But Hall over swam the first 50 passing Thorpe, and then Thorpeedo kicked in and he reeled him in last 25m.
Never heard a swimming crowd almost tear the roof off that loudly before with that epic win on home soil.
Olivia did not hold Torri throughout.
Just like what Hall JR did to Thorpe in Sydney 2000 4×100 free, Huske quickly overtook Wunsch in the first 25 and held the lead throughout until the last few meters when Olivia dug deep, just like what Thorpe did to Hall jr
Tomorrow looks not great for us, so banking the relay wins today is a huge bonus.
Shaping up to be an ultimate disaster of a meet for the U.S. And now, Walsh maybe not even be the favorite in the 100 fly
a Belgian is near favorite now ….never though i would see that one day in a Fly Final
Walsh is favorite.
Would assume whatever health issues she is dealing with are less bad with an extra day, and she was still the fastest in the semi.
Wunchs performance was incredible